Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale

Abstract

The Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale is a brief, self-report instrument designed to measure an individual’s exposure to and association with friends who engage in antisocial behavior and delinquency. Developed by the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) at the University of Washington, this scale is widely used in longitudinal studies and prevention program evaluations, particularly among adolescent populations. The instrument quantifies the degree of peer deviance by asking respondents about the involvement of their four closest friends in six specific high-risk activities over the past year.

This measure serves as a critical indicator of a major risk factor associated with future substance abuse, violence, and criminal behavior, often functioning as a key subscale within larger assessments such as the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors (part of CSAP’s Core Measures).

Keywords

Antisocial Peers, Peer Influence, Delinquency, Risk Factors, Adolescent Behavior, Peer Relationships, Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, Antisocial Behavior, Criminology.

Authors

Social Development Research Group (SDRG), University of Washington.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale is to provide researchers and practitioners with a reliable metric for assessing the concentration of deviance within an adolescent’s immediate social network. Association with delinquency-prone peers is one of the most robust predictors of an individual’s own involvement in high-risk activities.

The scale is specifically utilized in prevention science to identify youth who are at heightened risk due to environmental factors, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at strengthening protective factors or reducing exposure to negative peer influence. By focusing on observable, concrete behaviors (such as arrests or school suspension), the scale offers a quantifiable measure of this critical social influence domain.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological and sociological construct of Association with Deviant Peers, which is a key component of social development theory, particularly within the context of risk and protective factors models. The construct is operationalized by measuring the frequency of six distinct delinquency-related behaviors demonstrated by the respondent’s four closest friends over a 12-month period.

The underlying assumption is that close relationships with friends who engage in illegal or prohibited activities (e.g., carrying weapons, selling drugs, stealing motor vehicles) significantly increases the probability that the respondent will adopt similar behaviors due to normalization, modeling, and peer pressure. The scale aggregates these specific indicators to form a composite score reflecting the overall level of exposure to antisocial influence.

Validity

While specific detailed validity studies for this brief subscale are often published within the context of the larger Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, the instrument demonstrates strong evidence of Construct Validity. The items selected are directly derived from empirical research linking specific peer behaviors to subsequent youth outcomes.

Its inclusion in major national surveys, such as those utilized by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), suggests that the scale exhibits high Criterion Validity, correlating significantly with self-reported antisocial behavior, substance use, and official records of juvenile justice involvement. Furthermore, the scale is typically administered alongside other measures of social bonds and family relationships, demonstrating expected divergent and convergent validity patterns.

Reliability

As a well-established subscale developed by the Social Development Research Group, the Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale is expected to possess robust internal consistency and test-retest reliability, though exact coefficients depend on the specific population tested. Given its use in longitudinal studies, which require stable measures across time, researchers typically report acceptable levels of Internal Consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha usually above 0.70) when aggregated within the full risk assessment battery.

The consistent structure—focusing on the four best friends and defining specific behaviors within a strict 12-month timeframe—contributes to measurement stability. The clear, mutually exclusive response options (ranging from 0 to 4 friends) minimize ambiguity and improve the reliability of the self-report data collected from adolescents.

Factor Analysis

The Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale is generally treated as a unidimensional measure, reflecting a single underlying construct: the degree of association with deviant peers. When subjected to Exploratory or Confirmatory Factor Analysis within the context of the larger Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, these six items typically load strongly onto a single factor distinct from other risk domain factors (such as family management or school performance).

This clear factor structure supports its interpretation as a singular, powerful indicator of environmental risk. The homogeneity of the items—all relating to serious rule-breaking or illegal acts—ensures that the factor score accurately represents exposure to peer delinquency rather than general peer conflict or minor disagreements.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire (Subscale)

Format: Fixed-choice response format (Likert-type scale applied to frequency count of friends involved in specific behaviors).

Language Available: English (Primary language of development). Translations may exist depending on specific program implementation.

Population Group: Adolescents and Young Adults.

Age Group: Typically utilized with middle school and high school students (ages 12–18).

Population Details: Used extensively in community samples, school settings, and populations participating in prevention and intervention programs focused on reducing substance abuse and violence.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to consider their four closest friends and report how many of those friends engaged in six specified antisocial behavior acts during the preceding year.

Keywords

Peer Deviance, Risk Assessment, Prevention Science, Youth Violence, Substance Abuse, Psychometric properties, Social Influence, SDRG.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified for the institutional author (SDRG).

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Contact for the Social Development Research Group).

Correspondence Address: Social Development Research Group, University of Washington, 9725 3rd Ave. NE‚ Suite 401, Seattle‚ WA 98115-2024.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale, as part of the CSAP Core Measures and developed by a publicly funded research institution, is generally available for non-commercial research and educational use. Users should contact the Social Development Research Group for explicit permission, licensing details, and current usage agreements.

The scale’s development and initial implementation generally align with the timeline of the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, placing its likely test year in the late 1990s to early 2000s, reflecting the era of major federally funded prevention initiatives.

The original document can be downloaded here: Interaction with Antisocial Peers Scale.doc

Reference’s

The scale is documented as a subscale within the larger federal evaluation framework:

• Social Development Research Group. Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale. University of Washington.

• CSAP’s Core Measures document (The scale is found on pages 100-102 of this document, which outlines the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors).

• Further information regarding the scale and its context can be found at: http://oregonmentors.org/library/evaluationtools/view/52/

Items of the Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have been suspended from school?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends

2. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have carried a handgun?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends

3. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have sold illegal drugs?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends

4. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have stolen or tried to steal a motor vehicle such as a car or motorcycle?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends

5. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have been arrested?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends

6. Think of your four best friends (the friends you feel closest to). In the past year (12 months)‚ how many of your best friends have dr‎opped out of school?

1. None of my friends
2. 1 of my friends
3. 2 of my friends
4. 3 of my friends
5. 4 of my friends